TCU takes down top seed Kansas in Big 12 Tournament

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Freshman guard Desmond Bane scored a team-high 16 points as unranked TCU stunned No. 1 Kansas 85-82 Thursday in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament at Sprint Center.With the scored tied 82-82, Bane was fouled on a 3-point attempt with 2.5 seconds remaining by the Jayhawks’ Svi Mykhailiuk. Bane made all three free throws for the decisive points.The win enhanced TCU’s chances of landing an at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament, although the Horned Frogs may need to win the conference tournament to get in.The stunner marked just the second time in Big 12 tournament history the Jayhawks were ousted in their first tournament game. An eight-game win streak they used to close Big 12 play and capture the league title by four games was snapped.Senior guard Frank Mason, the Big 12 player of the year, scored 29 points to pace Kansas. The Jayhawks, however, missed freshman guard Josh Jackson, who served a one-game disciplinary suspension. Sophomore guard Devonte’ Graham missed a 3-point attempt at the buzzer.Junior forward Kenrich Williams scored 18 points to pace TCU, though he fouled out with 3:12 remaining. The Horned Frogs had five players score in double figures.Senior forward Landen Lucas notched a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds as the Jayhawks fell to 28-4 after going 16-2 in Big 12 play.The Horned Frogs (19-14) led by 11 with 13:57 remaining as freshman guard Desmond Bane capped a 15-2 run with a layup to make it 60-49.The Jayhawks roared back and regained the lead 75-74 on a 3-pointer by Graham with 5:15 left.At the 3:36 mark, an extra point was awarded Kansas after replays showed sophomore guard Lagerald Vick made a 3-pointer more than four minutes earlier. The point, coupled with a free throw by Lucas, gave Kansas a 77-76 lead.TCU did not regain the lead until sophomore guard Alex Robinson drove for a layup with 45 seconds left to make it 82-80, capping a 6-0 run. Mason made two free throws with 22.8 seconds left before Bane’s game-winning free throws.A technical on TCU coach Jamie Dixon stoked the Horned Frogs down the stretch in the first half.The call came with 4:20 remaining after a bucket by Vick. Mason added two free throws, giving the Jayhawks their biggest margin of the half, 39-27.The Frogs then closed the half with a 16-3 tear. The only points the Jayhawks managed came off free throws, while the Frogs knocked down three 3-pointers. A free throw by Bane with 5.4 seconds left provided a halftime margin of 43-42, TCU’s first lead.Kansas shot 51.9 percent for the half, getting 13 points each from Mason and Mykhailiuk, who made his first five shots. Williams led the balanced Frogs with nine points, while Robinson distributed six assists.

WINSTON-SALEM — Rick Pitino knows what an NCAA tournament team looks like, having taken three different schools to the Final Four and winning a pair of national championships during his Hall of Fame career. So […]

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